The Phantom Coach by Amelia B. Edwards

Last week we studied The Phantom Coach by Amelia B.

Edwards. This story has won the prize of being the best story we have read so far. The Phantom Coach is a first person story about James Murray and what he experiences when he visits a small cabin far in the woods, gets on the wooden carriage with three dead men, and ends up with his wife in the end of the story. The story is unique because it can be seen as a story within a story. Story one begins with James meeting Jacob in the forest, and it ends when he wakes up to his wife with him in the hospital 20 years later. Story two consists of after James meeting Jacob in the forest, is introduced and listens to The Master's unlimited amount of knowledge, and rides in the carriage with three corpses before he falls out. The carriage he is in is one that crashed seven years before his time, and this is one of the key points that add to the mystery of what actually took place with James. And this is why the carriage he went into is called in the last two words of the story, Phantom Coach. There many quotes that can be used to describe what James is experiencing, but this one is awesome. "I turned to the passenger on the seat beside my own, and saw-- oh Heaven! how shall I describe what I saw? I saw that he was no living man--that none of them were living men, like myself! A pale phosphorescent light--the light of putrefaction--played upon their awful faces; upon their hair, dank with the dews of the grave; upon their clothes, earth-stained and dropping to pieces; upon their hands, which were as the hands of corpses long buried. Only their eyes, their terrible eyes, were living; and those eyes were all turned menacingly upon me!" 

After finishing this story, we went over two short stories we brought in. First we read Halloween Horror by Joshua Hall and then a descriptive story/poem named Eating Pumpkins by Dorthy Brock. Next Wednesday's short story is A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury. 

A Day to Mull Over Poems

The Dance I Done by Dottty

I am a Free Spirit by Cathy

Yesterday, on Friday, we had four poems brought into our class. Fay brought in Georga 'Da Wash, a poem written by her mother in 1930. Joe read a poem he wrote which is Our Five Senses. Dotty's brought in The Dance I Done, another poem she has written. And Cathy brought in, I am a Free Spirit, a poem she wrote the day of our class. Faye read her poem, Georga 'Da Wash, with sounds of her voice and body movements matching the words and structure of the poem. She read in a way that shows she has read it many times. It was great! Joe's poem, Our Five Senses, is about his years as a blind and deaf elementary school teacher. Every description he shared with us are ones he seen and experienced. This a wonderful poem and you can tell Joe was a compassionate teacher. Dotty's poem, The Dance I Done, is about when she learned to dance and how she has been dancing her whole life. She put a lot of her heart into this poem and we can feel how much it meant to her. This is another beautiful poem she has shared with us. Cathy writes about herself in her poem, I am a Free Spirit. Her poem is about herself and it's a personal view point of what she likes and dislikes. She writes about her common thoughts from years ago until today. Next weeks reading is The Phantom Coach by Amelia B. Edwards, and we will go over this short story next Wednesday. Ciao!

Two Wonderful Short Stories

William Butler Yeats

Today we went over two short stories: The Heart of Spring by William Butler Yeats and Stickeen by John Muir. They are both wonderful stories, but when I ask which story everyone likes the most, Stickeen wins. The Heart of Spring is about a young boy and a very old man, who is referred to as Master by the young boy. The story is a tricky one to understand, but the story consists of a young boy taking care of the older man. The older one tells him about what he has gone through and what he needs done that day since he knows he will pass away. The young boy does what he is told to do by the old man, and before the young boy saw his master dead, he dreamed of a bright future of him being married and having children. The last sentence of the story: "He looked at the threadbare blue velvet, and he saw it was covered with the pollen of the flowers, and while he was looking at it a thrush, who had alighted among the boughs that were piled against the window, began to sing." It's a short story, only 4.5 pages, but very well written. The Heart of Spring is yet another story I suggest you read. 

The other story, Stickeen, is a real story written by John Muir and his new canine friend, Stickeen. John Muir was not interested in having a dog in this trip and in the beginning, he has only negative comments about Stickeen and his place on the voyage. But throughout the story John Muir and Stickeen become close, and it's wonderful to read and see how Stickees builds their relationship. From half way into the story and till the end, John Muir speaks to Stickee like he is one of us. There are many examples of John Muir referring to Stickeen as if he were human. Here is one: "His looks and tones of his voice when be began to complain and speak his fears were so human that I unconsciously talked to him as I would to a boy, and in trying to calm his fears perhaps in some measure moderated my own." This too is a marvelous story, and I suggest you read this one as well. On Friday, we will read some poems and stories brought in by us, and receive next week's short story.

Just Another Wonderful Day in Our Reading Club

Yesterday, on Friday, we had an amazing class with four of us reading poems they brought in. Joe and Dorthy read ones they wrote, and Cathy and Fae's read ones written by dear friends. Cathy's is God Decision by Le Roy A Martinez, and Fae's is Because by Beth A Dickson. Our group becomes closer with each other every week, and because of that, they all read special poems or other styles of writing out loud and tells us about the history of the writing. Interestingly, every reading this week was based on difficult times and misunderstandings and the undeniable faith in God is what helped them soften their hearts with acceptance and love. It was an outstanding day of reading personal writings. After that, we read Why I Write by Terry Tempest Williams and talked what is in her writing we find all our writings. Next weeks readings are The Heart of Spring by William Butler Yeats and Stickeen by John Muir. See you next week!!

I Know by Dorthy Valentine (2010)

God Voice by Le Roy A Martinez (1998)

Because by Beth A Dickson (1940)

The Idiots by Joseph Conrad

Joseph Conrad

Yesterday we went over The Idiots by Joseph Conrad. We had a mixed review about the story. Half of us thought it was depressing since Jean-Pierre Bacadou and his wife Susan died, and their four disabled children, the idiots, end up being put into the background so they can be out of society and forgotten. On the other side, a few of us loved the story. Yes, we feel it is depressing with a horrible ending, but the writing by Joseph Conrad is brilliant. Each sentence is written so well and the actions and settings are clear as day. Plus, it is written with such creativity that we feel Joseph Conrad is a artist, a writing artist. Here is an example: "Autumn came. The cloudy sky descended low upon the black contours of the hills; and the dead leaves danced in spiral whirls under naked trees, till the wind, sighing profoundly, laid them to rest in hollows of baron trees." Interestingly, he wrote The Idiots on his honeymoon in 1896. One of his books I recommend is, The Heart of Darkness. On Friday, we will read Why I Write, a two page journal written by Terry Tempest Williams and receive next week's short story.

Last Week's Reading We'll Do Next Wedensday

We missed last Wednesday and Friday, but nothing has changed and we will be together next Wednesday, October 14. We are going to go over The Idiots by Joseph Conrad, which most readers don't care for it. I look forward to everyone's thoughts and opinions about the story, and I'm sure it will be great. On Wednesday, I will bring in the next week's reading. See you then!

An Angel in Disguise by T.S. Arthur

Last Friday, we went over An Angel in Disguise by T.S. Arthur. We used the Plot Diagram one more time to help us follow the story and labeled the diagram as we moved forward. The story its self is wonderful and the last sentence sums it all up: "An angel had come into his house, disguised as a sick, helpless, and miserable child, and filled all its dreary chambers with the sunshine of love." Later, we read a few reading that were brought in by us, and once again, Dorthy brought a very touching narrative. In this photo of her, we can only see page one of two, and she wrote this in 2005. Next Wednesday we will be going over, The Idiots by Joseph Conrad.

Illusions

Plot Diagram Used to Write Short Stories

Plot Diagram

Yesterday, on Wednesday, we went over a Plot Diagram, an organizational tool in writing, to help us follow the short stories we have read in class and guide our writers through the steps to follow as they write new short stories on their own. We took what we learned and used it to go over some of the stories we have read so far. Everyone enjoyed this lesson, and we talked about how this helps them to understand the reason the author wrote his or her story the way it is. After that, we began going over A Worn Path by Eudora Alice Welty, and will begin going over the beautiful short story, An Angel Disguise by T.S. Author on Friday. Of course, we will share some poems and short stories was have written ourselves as well. See you tomorrow!!